Spring-actuated take-up.



No. 742,781. PATENTBDIOCT. 27, 1903. H. FORSYTH.

SPRING AGTUATED TAKE-UP.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 21.- 1900. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- in: mumsPaul: 90.. mam-man. wumuomm n. c

No. 742,781. PATENTED OUT. 27, 1903. G. H. PORSYTH.

SPRING AGTUATED TAKE-UP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1900. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented October 2'7, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPRlNG-ACTUATED TAKE-UP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 2 Application filed September 21,1900. Serial No. 30,671.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. FORSYTH, of Chicago, county of Cook, andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im- 'provementsin Spring-Actuated Take-Ups, of

which the following is a specification.

Generally stated, my invention relates to means adapted to stretch andhold in a taut and smooth condition an object to be suspended, extended,or moved through the agency of two relatively rotatable parts connectedwith opposite ends of the object to be acted upon and connected witheach other by an elastic medium which tends to produce rotativemovements of said parts in opposite directions, whereby said object isheld at any adjusted position and is prevented from getting out ofalinement or bending when being moved.

My invention is more especially adapted to use in connection with aflexible shade or ourtain, being in the nature of an elastic take-updevice therefor.

It consists in the parts and combinations of parts in a device of thischaracter and for this purpose, substantially as hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of aWindow-shade mounted as above suggested. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view of the shade-roller, showing its spindle and spring, thepulleys, and the journals of the shade-roller. Fig. 3 is a detail of anextensible spindle. Figs. 4 and 5 5 are cross-sectional views on thelines 44and 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an end view of the roller, showingthe operating-chains and ourtain in edge view. Figs. 7 and 8 show,respectively, in side and end elevation a modified construction.

First describing the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6,inclusive, lot 10 represent a window-shade, one end of which is securedto a sheath 11, which may be a wooden or metal tube, such as is commonlyemployed for spring-actuated shade-rollers, and in which is fittedcollars 12.

13 represents a spindle which may be made in two sections having theannular heads or flattened ends 14, as

atent No. 742,781, dated October 27, 1903.

(No model.)

shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, to adapt them to be overlapped and to enablethe spindle to be extended or adjusted as to length to fit windows ofvarying width. This spindleis an ordinary wooden roller-,as shown. Thesheath 11 may also be constructed in two sections telescoped together,as shown at 15 in Fig. 2. The ends of the spindles are carried insockets 16, which are shouldered to confine the annular-heads 12 of thesheath and have tubular extensions 17 to receive the journals or pins18, which are provided with securingplates 19. This construction of thesheath and the spindle permits relative rotary movement of the parts,and this rotary movement is availed of in some adaptations of theinvention. The spindle may be secured within its socketagainst endwiseseparation by the pin 20, and an additional pin 21 may be employedresting in a groove in the end of the spindle to prevent rotation of thespindle with reference to its socket. The last-named pin also affordsmeans against the inner side of the head 12 of the sheath. The tubularextensions 17 have secured thereto sprocket-wheels 23. A coiled spring24 has one end thereof fastened to the spindle, preferably by being letinto the wood thereof and having an end upturned, as shown at 25,through an aperture in the socket 16. The opposite end of the spring issecured to an annular block or filling-ring 26, which is secured withthe sheath 11. Obviously the spindle and the sheath or roller willordinarily turn as one piece; but they are capable of independentrotative movement. The shadestick 27 is secured, preferably in aremovable manner, by means of the stirrups 27 and pins 27 to the chainsor other flexible operatingstrands 28, which pass over the. pulleys 23,carried by the spindle, and around pulleys 29, journaled at the bottomof the windowframe. These pulleys 29 may be journaled in hangers oryokes 30 and may have a tensiondevice applied thereto, such tensiondevice comprising a sliding bolt or spindle 31, connected with the yoke30 and extending through a spring 32, mounted within a confining-frame33, the latter being secured to the window-sill.

for holding a collar 22' The operation of myinvention as embodied in ashade mechanism is as follows: When the shade is pulled down, the chainswill run with the lower pulleys, while the upper pulleys will revolvevtogether with the spindle and sheath, the spring serving to keep thecurtain properly extended or stretched between the roller andshade-stick. When the shade is rolled up by taking hold of the chains orthe lower edge of the shade-stick, the spring likewise keeps the shadetaut. Obviously the diameter of the shade-roller and the shade woundthereon varies as the shade is rolled or unrolled, and necessarily,therefore, some compensating this varying diameter. By making theshade-roller proper movable with reference to the spindle this variationof diameter is compensated for by'the elasticity of the spring, whosecoils will compensatingly vary in diameter. In the operation obviouslythe spring acts with equal force upon the spindle, and the sheath orroller tendingv to turn them in opposite directions, these tendenciesexactly offsetting or counterbalancing each other, so that there is notendency to either wind up the shade or to unwind it, the tension of thespring being exerted to keep the shade taut. The device presents,therefore, a perfectly-balanced mechanism, and the elasticity of thespring, as before stated, variation in diameter of the turns of theshade upon the shade-roller. The connection of the spring at itsopposite ends to the shade-roller and to the spindle is, in eifect, thesame as though the ends of the spring were posite ends of the shade, andthe result is to keep the shade taut, while its lower end is held inparallelism with the shade-roller and It will be mechanism the fricisalso prevented from flapping. understood that in this tion of the chainspassing over the pulleys is not depended upon to hold the shade in In acurtain-operat- 1ng mechanism I prefer to employ chains andsprocket-wheels as means for moving the curprovision must be made for 1connected to opnular heads, of an annular ring secured within theroller, a spindle conemployed, although it spindle, and thereby jpreserve a practically uniform tension upon 1 or curtains the which ismade fast to the curtain-stick, and the other end, after passing aroundpulleys 35, is secured to and woundupon a drum 36, mounted upon theprojection 37 of the spindle, so as to turn therewith. The spring 24 isemployed, as in the previously-described construction, and the operationof the device is practically the same.

I claim 1. In a spring-actuated take-up for sheets or curtains, thecombination with a hollow roller having annular heads closing the endsthereof, of socket-pieces mounted in said annular heads, a spindlemounted at its ends in said socket-pieces, means for confining thespindle against rotation in its sockets, a spring surrounding saidspindle and connected at one end thereto and at its other end to theinclosing roller, means for rotating said spindle connected to saidsocket-pieces, said latter means and the roller being adaptedrespcctively for connection to an object to be extended or supported,substantially as described. 1

2. In a spring-actuated. take-up for sheets or curtains, the combinationwith a hollow roller having annular heads closing the ends thereof, ofsocket-pieces mounted in said annular heads, said socket-pieces havingtubular extensions whereby the roller is journaled, a spindle mounted atits ends in said socket-pieces, means for confining the spindle againstboth endwise and rotary movement therein, a spring surrounding saidspindle and connected at one end thereto and at its other end to theinclosing roller, pulleys for rotating said spindle mounted on saidtubular extensions of the socket-pieces, and end less cords passing oversaid pulleys and adapted to be secured to one end of a shade or ourtainwhose opposite end is adapted to be secured to the roller, substantiallyas described.

3. In a spring-actuated take-up for sheets or curtains, the combinationwith a hollow roller constructed in sections telescoping upon each otherand having itsends closed by anblock or fillingstructed inextens'iblesections and fixedly secured in said annular heads, saidspindle passing through and being supported in said filling-ring, aspring encircling said spindle and connected at one end thereto and atits other end to said filling-ring and means for rotating the spindle,said latter means and the containing-roller being adapted for connectionto opposite ends respectively of a shade or curtain to maintain the sametaut throughthe flexibility of the spring, substantially as described.

4. In a spring-actuated take-up for sheets combination with a hollow,

a longitudimounted in the spindle longitudinally-extensible roller,nally-extensible spindle loosely a spring connecting the roller,

and roller, a shade and means for connecting roller, a shade and meanscomprising a band the spindle with the shade independent of theconnected to the lower margin of the shade 1o roller. and to the spindlefor rotating the spindle.

5. In a sprin -actuated take-up for shades 5 or curtains the combinationwith a hollow, GEORGE FORSYTH' longitudinally-extensible roller, alongitndi- Witnesses: nally-extensible spindle loosely mounted in C. O.LINTHIOUM,

the roller, a spring connecting the spindle and FREDERICK G. GOODWIN.

